Door-controller.



I No. 802,552. PATENTED 001124, 1905.

W. G. BELL.

DOOR CONTROLLER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 7,1905.

Ali/$24 iii WILLIAM G. BELL, OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

DOOR-"CONTROLLER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 24, 1905.

. Application filed June 7,1905. Serial No. 264,128.

To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that I, WILLIAM G. BELL, of Newton, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Door-Controllers, of which. the following is a specification.

This invention relates to spring-actuated means for holding hinged doors, and particularly heavy doors, such as are employed for refrigerators, &c., either in a closed position or an open position.

The invention relates to that class of doorcontrollers embodying a toggle-joint the outer ends of the links of which are hinged or jointed, respectively, to the door-casing and the door, a spring being employed which is engaged with the toggle-joint at or near the meeting ends of the links and with the door, the spring acting at all times to exert a straightening pressure on the toggle-joint, and thus cause a constant pressure of one end of the toggle-joint against the door, the said pressure tending to force the door from an intermediate position either to a closed or an open position. In door-controllers of this character heretofore used one end of the toggle-joint has been connected with the doorcasing by a double-jointed hinge, permitting the joint to swing on two axes, one of which is vertical and the other horizontal. The

other end 01 the toggle-joint has, however,

been connected with the door by a single joint, which permits only a swinging movement of the toggle-joint in a vertical plane or on a horizontal axis. Inasmuch as the swinging movements of the door require the togglejoint to swing horizontally independently of the door and stand out of parallelism with the door excepting when the latter is closed, the single-jointconnection between the togglejoint and the door is objectionable, because it involves a straining action of the toggle-joint on the member of the single-joint hinge which is aflixed to the door, so that the device not only works with less freedom than is desirable, but the connection of the toggle-joint is liable to be loosened and to eventually give way.

My invention has for its chief object to provide a door-controller of the character above stated with a connection between the togglejoint and the door, said connection having provisions for permitting both a vertical and a horizontal oscillation of the toggle-joint relatively to the door without involving strain and wear on the members of said connection.

The invention also has for its object to provide improved means for adjustably connecting the spring with the door to vary its stress or tension.

To these ends the invention consists in improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

In the accompanying drawings, forming parts of this specification, Figure 1 represents a side elevation showing a door-controller embodying my invention applied to a door and its casing, the door being closed. Fig. 2 represents a section on line 2 2 oi Fig. 1 and a top plan or edge view of the controller. Fig. 3 represents a view similar to Fig. 1, showing the door partially opened and the toggle-joint out of parallelism with the door. Fig. .1.- represents a perspective view of the device for adjustably securing the spring to the door. Fig. 5 represents a section on line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

The same numerals of reference indicate the same parts in all figures.

In the drawings, 12 represents a door-casing, and 13 represents a door connected to the casing by suitable hinges 14.

15 and 16 represent toggle-links, which are preferably stout metal tubular rods having at their inner ends suitable terminal pieces 17 17 jointed together by the pin or pintle 18. The outer ends of the links 15 16 are provided with terminals 19 19, which in this embodiment of the invention constitute members of double-joint hinges connecting the link 15 with the door-casing and the link 16 with the door.

20 21 represent pintle members adapted to be rigidly attached, respectively, to the casing and to the door, each pintle member being aflixed rigidly to a bracket 22, said brackets being adapted to be screwed to the casing and door, as shown in Fig. 1.

23 represents an intermediate hinge member adapted to turn horizontally on the casing-pintle 20 and having an car 2 1 connected by a horizontal pin or pintle 25 with the outer terminal 19 of the link 15.

26 represents an intermediate hinge 1nember adapted to turn horizontally on the doorpintle member 21 and having an car 27 connected by a horizontal pin or pintle 28 with the outer terminal 19 of the link 16.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the outer end of the toggle-joint is connected with the door-casing by means having provisions for permitting both a vertical and a horizontal oscillation of the said link relatively to the casing. This connection between the doorcontrolling toggle-joint and the door-casing is not new with me. Heretofore, however, the inner link of the toggle-joint has been connected with the door only by a connection equivalent to the pin or pintle 28, the said connection being rigidly aflixed to the door and permitting only a vertical oscillation of the link thereon. Vhen the door is swung outwardly, the toggle-joint necessarily is thrown out of parallelism with the door, as shown in Fig. 3. Hence the end of the toggle-joint thus connected with the door, if connected only by a horizontal pin or pintle rigidly affixed to the door, will bind on and strain said pin or pintle and fail to work with the desired freedom, besides rapidly wearing and weakening the connection between the toggle-joint and the door. By providingthe described connection between the toggle-joint and the door, permitting both a vertical and a horizontal oscillation of the inner togglelink relatively to the door, I obviate this objection, the toggle-joint being adapted to swing freely from a position parallel with the door, as shown in Fig. 2, to a position out of parallelism with the door, as shown in Fig. 3. The described connection between the toggle-joint and the door is preferably a duplicate in all respects of that between the toggle-joint and the casing, so that the controlling device as a whole can be adapted with the utmost facility to either a right-hand or a left-hand door, the intermediate members 23 and 26 being interchangeable on the pintle members 20 and 21.

30 represents the spring, which is preferably of helical form, one end of the spring being engaged with an eye orhook 31, affixed to the toggle-joint at or near the meeting ends of the links. The other end of the spring is connected with the door by suitable means, preferably the means shown in detail in Figs. 4 and 5, said means permitting an adjustable connection between the spring and the door to vary the stress or tension of the spring.

32 represents a holder, which is a metal plate having backwardly-projecting cars 33 33, adapted to bear on the outer surface of the door, the plate being provided with orifices 34 to receive attaching-screws for securing it to the door. The plate is provided with a vertical series of keyhole-shaped slots 35. the narrower portions of which are the upper ends of the slots. 36 represents a shank adapted to occupy the narrower end of either slot, said shank having at its outer end a hook 37, adapted to engage the spring, and at its inner end an enlargement 38, formed to pass freely through the larger end of the slot 35, as having a greater diameter than the width of the narrower end of the slot. In applying this device to the holder 32 the enlargement 38 is passed through the larger end of the slot to the back side of the holder, the device being then moved upwardly until. the shank 36 occupies the narrower end of the slot, the enlargement 38 hearing against the inner side of the holder. The spring is then engaged with the hook 37 and holds the shank against the upper end of the slot 35. It will be seen that the shank 36 and hook 37 can be readily removed from one slot and inserted in either of the other slots of the series, thus regulating the tension of the spring. The spring exerts a constant pull on the togglejoint, tending to force the door from an intermediate position to either a fully closed or fully opened position.

I claim 1. A door-controller comprising a togglejoint, means for connecting the outer end of one of thetoggle-links with a door-casing and the outer end of the other link with a door, said connecting means having provisions for permitting both a vertical and a horizontal oscillation of one toggle-link upon the casing and of the other link upon the door, whereby the toggle-joint is adapted to swing into and out of parallelism with the door, and a spring adapted for engagement with the toggle-joint and with the door.

2. A door-controller comprising a togglejoint, two double-jointed hinges adapted to connect the outer ends of the toggle-links with a door-casing and with a door, each hinge having a vertical pintle member adapted for attachment to the casing or door. and an intermediate socket member adapted to turn on the pintle member and connected by a horizontal pivot with the outer end of the corresponding toggle-link, the socket members of either hinge being adapted to engage the pintle member of the other hinge, and a spring adapted for engagement with the toggle-joint and with the door.

3. A door-controller comprising a togglejoint, means for connecting the outer end of one of the toggle-links with a door-casing and the outer end of the other link with a door, said connecting means having provisions for permitting both a vertical and a horizontal oscillation of one toggle-link upon the casing and of the other link upon the door, a spring engaged at one end with the toggle-joint, a holder adapted for attachment to a door and a spring-engaging member adapted to be adjustably connected with said holder.

4. Adoor-controller comprising a togglejoint, means for connecting the outer end of one of the toggle-links with a door-casing and the outer end of the other link with a door, said connecting means having provisions for permitting both a vertical and a horizontal either slot, and an enlargement adapted to oscillation of one toggle-link upon the casing pass through the larger end of the slot. 10 and of the other link upon the door, a spring I In testimony whereof I have afiixed my sigengaged at one end With the togglejoint, a nature in presence of two Witnesses.

5 holder adapted for attachment to a door and XVILLIAM G. BELL.

provided With a plurality of keyhole-shaped l/Vitnesses: slots, and a spring-engaging hook having a G. F. BROWN,

shank adapted to occupy the smaller end. of E. BATOHELDER. 

